Elyse Marie Pahler (April 24, 1980 – July 22, 1995) was an American murder victim whose parents attempted to sue the

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

band Slayer, claiming that the band's music contributed to their daughter's death. Pahler was murdered in the summer of 1995.

Murder

15-year-old Elyse Pahler's body was discovered near her home in

Arroyo Grande Arroyo often refers to: * Arroyo (creek), an intermittently dry creek Arroyo may also refer to: People * Arroyo (surname) Places United States ;California * Arroyo Burro Beach, a public beach park in Santa Barbara County, California * Arroyo ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, in March 1996. She had been raped and murdered there eight months earlier by acquaintances Jacob Delashmutt, Joseph Fiorella, and Royce Casey. The perpetrators apparently returned to her corpse and raped it on several occasions. The body was located after Casey confessed to the crime following a conversion to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. All three eventually pleaded

no contest ' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. In criminal trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neith ...

to her murder and are now imprisoned and serving life imprisonment. The trio lured Elyse from her house with the stated intention of killing her as part of a Satanic ritual, although the crime bears many of the hallmarks of similar sexually motivated murders. In their defense, the defendants said they had needed to commit a "sacrifice to the

devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...

" to give their heavy metal band, Hatred, the "craziness" to "go professional".

Lawsuit

David and Lisanne Pahler claimed that the Slayer songs "

Postmortem An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any d ...

" and "

Dead Skin Mask ''Seasons in the Abyss'' is the fifth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released on October 9, 1990, through Def American Records. Recording sessions began in March 1990 at Hit City West and Hollywood Sound, and ended in June 1 ...

" (from the albums '' Reign in Blood'' and ''

Seasons in the Abyss ''Seasons in the Abyss'' is the fifth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released on October 9, 1990, through Def American Records. Recording sessions began in March 1990 at Hit City West and Hollywood Sound, and ended in June 1 ...

'', respectively) gave the three killers detailed instructions to " stalk,

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. definitions of tortur ...

, murder and commit acts of necrophilia" on their daughter. The lawsuit was originally filed in 1996 but delayed until 2000 when the killers' trial was concluded. The initial case was originally thrown out, the judge stating, "There's not a legal position that could be taken that would make Slayer responsible for the girl's death. Where do you draw the line? You might as well start looking through the library at every book on the shelf." Undeterred, the Pahlers launched a second lawsuit claiming that Slayer "knowingly distributed harmful material to minors". This case too was dismissed, with Judge E. Jeffrey Burke stating, "I do not consider Slayer's music obscene, indecent or harmful to minors." Jacob Delashmutt himself stated in a ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

'' interview, "The music is destructive utthat's not why Elyse was murdered. She was murdered because Joe iorellawas obsessed with her, and obsessed with killing her."

Aftermath

Royce Casey was denied parole by governor

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California f ...

in July 2021, Joseph Fiorella has a parole hearing tentatively scheduled for July 2023 after voluntarily waiving his right to a hearing for one year and Jacob Delashmutt has a parole hearing which is scheduled for December 2024. Royce Casey is imprisoned in the Valley State Prison. Joseph Fiorella is imprisoned in the High Desert State Prison, and Jacob Delashmutt is incarcerated in the

Correctional Training Facility Correctional Training Facility (CTF), commonly referenced as Soledad State Prison, is a state prison located on U.S. Route 101, north of Soledad, California, adjacent to Salinas Valley State Prison. Facilities The institution is divided into ...

.The Tribune
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References

External links

* , the memorial website for Elyse Marie Pahler {{DEFAULTSORT:Pahler, Elyse 1980 births 1995 deaths 1995 murders in the United States Deaths by person in California Murdered American children Obscenity controversies in music People murdered in California Murder committed by minors Crimes involving Satanism or the occult Arroyo Grande, California Necrophilia History of women in California Incidents of violence against girls